Video: Blue tits hatching in Sussex (From The Argus)

Video: Blue tits hatching in Sussex

9:10am Saturday 12th May 2012 in News By Peter Truman

The miracle of birth was captured on camera as a blue tit’s eight eggs hatched.

Neil Fletcher, of Sussex Wildlife Trust, secretly filmed the nestbox in his Henfield garden as the chicks emerged on Monday (May 7).

Writing on his blog, Mr Fletcher said: “I knew something was up. Apart from the fact she’d been sitting for just over two weeks now, she was getting really fidgety, constantly getting up and messing about with the eggs.

“Then, in the morning, there were six tiny chicks, and two eggs.

"The seventh egg hatched late morning. I figured the eighth egg was probably a dud, but it was gone the next morning and only after several reattempts at counting did I confirm that there were eight chicks, all alive.

“After 48 hours all the chicks seem pretty healthy, all tummy and giant head flolloping about on surprisingly long and limp necks.

“It’s kind of weird watching the parents flying around the garden, and then watching them inside the box on the camera monitor – it’s difficult to match up the images with the reality.”

Mr Fletcher will be posting regular updates on the chicks at the Sussex Wildlife Trust website sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk